Newroz, which symbolizes resistance and rebirth for the Kurdish people, continued to be celebrated for years despite bans and interventions. Celebrations that were maintained in the 1990s through fires lit in neighborhoods despite pressure and restrictions have today turned into mass Newroz gatherings attended by hundreds of thousands.
Ethem Dalgalı (57) is one of those who has witnessed Newroz celebrations since the 1980s. Saying that the Newroz he has witnessed since childhood represents not only the arrival of spring but also resistance and revival for the Kurdish people, Dalgalı spoke about the banned Newroz celebrations and interventions in the 1990s. He stated that at the time, people kept Newroz alive by lighting candles or even newspapers in neighborhoods and even inside their homes. Expressing that celebrations which began with 20 people have reached hundreds of thousands over the years, Dalgalı also emphasized that the 2013 Diyarbakır (Amed) Newroz was a historic turning point and described the 2026 Newroz as “a Newroz where messages of peace and freedom will come to the fore.”
Dalgalı said that people, from ages 7 to 70, flock to the squares with great spirit to express their demands for freedom and peace. Explaining that he has attended Newroz celebrations since childhood, Dalgalı stated that he first went to Newroz at the age of 6 and said, “At that time, I did not fully understand the meaning of Newroz. We were dancing around the fire. The fire that was lit that day has never gone out inside me.”
We started with 20 people, now it has reached millions
Dalgalı said that the Newroz celebrations he witnessed in his childhood and youth were marked by a distinct enthusiasm and excitement, adding that through the people’s resistance, the celebrations have continued to this day and have grown steadily. He noted that the circle of dance they began with 20 people has now reached millions and that witnessing these historic moments is very valuable for him. Dalgalı described his experiences as follows: “Soon after, within the activities developed by the Kurdish movement, I came to know Newroz, the history of Newroz and the legend of Kawa the Blacksmith. After learning these, I reflected again on the fire I had seen on the mountain. I likened it to the fire lit by young people in the mountains after Kawa’s struggle against oppression. And this is how I came to understand the meaning of that day. Even then, I later realized that people were trying to bring everyone together by lighting fires. My later Newroz celebrations took place in Diyarbakır. I attended the historic Newroz celebrations in Sur, Batıkent and İplik. The Newroz celebrations we held in Sur, at the foot of the walls, were among the most historic ones for me. I remember that day very well, we were dancing around the fire as 20 people. Those 20 later became thousands, and then millions. This is a great achievement brought about by the Kurdish freedom struggle. It is the coming together of the Kurds and the result of the Kurdish people embracing both their history and Newroz.”
Even if nothing else, Newroz was celebrated by lighting candles and newspapers
Dalgalı underlined that each year’s celebration made people long for the previous one and that the bans were becoming increasingly severe, adding that people still filled the areas with great spirit. He said that at the time there was neither a protocol nor a stage, and that people simply gathered around the fire, stressing that every moment from those days was valuable and historic.
Dalgalı noted that people who were not allowed to enter the gathering areas lit fires in their own neighborhoods or homes and said, “In the continuation of those periods, especially after the 1990s, there were many banned Newroz celebrations. For a while, not collectively, but we were celebrating Newroz in the neighborhood.
Even if they tried to prevent it, fires were lit in every street during Newroz every year. Tear gas was randomly used in neighborhoods, fires were extinguished, but people still said ‘this fire must burn’ despite everything. In fact, this persistence is one of the main reasons why Newroz is celebrated so magnificently today. Even when people were afraid to light a fire in the street, they lit a candle in their homes. They burned a piece of newspaper during Newroz celebrations or even took money out of their pocket and burned it like a Newroz fire.”
Cizre and Nusaybin Newroz created both courage and anger
Dalgalı said that despite the bans, the Newroz celebrations in Cizre and Nusaybin gave them great courage and stated, “That period was painful and very difficult. It was a time of unsolved killings. It was a time when fear was intense. But even in that period, the people’s Newroz in Cizre, led by Berivan, and the people’s resistance showed that this people were not afraid and saw Newroz as a field of struggle for both peace and freedom. At that time, people were detained. They were beaten with batons and struck with rifle butts. Afterwards, many people were arrested. Those who were detained were subjected to torture for 40 days. Especially during the 1998 and 1999 Newroz celebrations, they beat people dancing around the fire and tried to crush the mothers. At that time, I was involved in the work. They could not even tolerate people dancing in a circle.”
Tire sellers were detained
Dalgalı pointed out that extensive measures and obstacles were imposed at the time to prevent Newroz fires from being lit and said, “Before Newroz, it was almost as if a state of mobilization was declared across the country, and heavy pressure was applied to prevent the Newroz fire from being lit. There were even raids on tire sellers to prevent a single tire from being burned. The tires in their possession were confiscated. Almost every year before Newroz, both tire sellers and the tires themselves were taken into custody. But the youth and the people would hide the tires in advance, and when the time came, they would definitely light that fire. Because that fire had to be lit, and people had to dance around it.”
People came to the square ready to risk death
Dalgalı said that during the banned Newroz celebrations, people almost every year returned home beaten and covered in mud. He stated that despite torture and obstacles, people did not give up and took their place again the following year and described his experiences as follows: “In 1997 and 1998, mass Newroz celebrations were held in Bağlar Square in Diyarbakır. I was also among those dancing in that crowd in 1998. I was among people dancing around the fire, jumping over it, and shouting together with one voice, young and old alike. However, after Newroz ended, there was a major intervention against the crowd that wanted to disperse. Water cannons, batons and armored vehicles were used against the people. As people were trying to return home, they were subjected to heavy pressure. I was also subjected to that intervention. I was hit by water cannons. At that moment, I had to carry a 70-year-old mother on my back and take refuge in another house. Because if you could not find a place to take shelter, anything could happen to you. After those years, every Newroz people were intervened against, subjected to torture and arrests took place. When we look at it, we did not come to this day with ease or simply by dancing; we always went to that area knowing that it was a struggle and aware of what we would face there. The circle around that dance was always formed with strong will and struggle.”
We must unite the spirit of the 1990s around that fire
Dalgalı said that for 40 years people have gathered around the fire with the same demands and called for strong participation, emphasizing that this Newroz could be the closest they have come to peace during such a historic period. He stated that people must continue to take to the squares with the same demands and raise their voices for peace and freedom and said: “About 30 years have passed since the 1990s. The dances that began with 20 people that day have today turned into large celebrations attended by hundreds of thousands.
Especially the Newroz in 2013, when the letter of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan was read, became a very historic Newroz. People from all over the world came to Diyarbakır that day. People were flowing into the squares like a flood. At the point we have reached today, the 2026 Newroz also carries a very important meaning. At a time when wars are being spread across the Middle East, it is seen as a Newroz where Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan will give a message of peace to the world. For this reason, we see this Newroz as a Newroz of peace and a Newroz of freedom. While everyone today is talking about war and seeking to expand it, Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan is giving a message of peace to the world. At this point, we must carry the spirit of the 1990s and the 2000s into the squares in the 2026 Newroz as well. With that spirit, we must be in the squares today in the same way and dance around that fire.”
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